Among Giants
by Hawki
Summary: Aderyn's Cradle/Dark Souls Oneshot: Anora had fallen to the gods. Drangleic had fallen to giants. Yet driven from one world, a ranger could still find solace in the other.


**Among Giants**

_Titanwood, Forest of Fallen Giants…is it just me, or is there a theme going on here?_

Actually, there was an already larger theme going on, regardless of the names of forests. Anora was a world gone to shit. Drangleic was a realm gone to shit. Walking through the so-called "Forest of Giants," Devanna could smell shit.

_Ah shit._

Which was shit that she'd stepped in. Apparently the forest wasn't completely deprived of wildlife. She had no desire to become undead, but at least becoming so would remove the need to perform certain bodily functions.

"Quite the mire you've found yourself in?"

The ranger turned to find the voice. It was old, and broken – like most voices she'd heard in Anora. Slaves to the gods, deprived of the gift of free will bestowed upon them by Aderyn. In essence, nothing to fear.

"Buy something, anything…" the old crone rasped. "Come now, help an old woman…keh heh…heh…heh…"

The chuckles turned to coughs. Devanna watched as blood landed on the hag's bony palm. Somehow she was still alive in this gods-forsaken realm. Maybe because Fate couldn't be arsed to pop off someone that was on death's door anyway.

"Go on…it's on the cheap for you…keh heh heh…"

_Please shut up._

The crone kept chuckling, and Devanna kept staring. A crate, a lamp, a scythe…she was sitting down, with seemingly all her belongings (or wares, she supposed) strapped to her back. Why? Was she intent on leaving in a hurry?

"Don't abandon a poor woman…knew you'd be back…"

Or, more likely, mad?

Devanna stepped forward, her hand on her dagger. She'd seen broken people turn to enemies at a moment's notice before. The hag didn't seem that deadly, but-

"My name is Melentia," said the hag, looking up at the ranger, her sunken eyes meeting Devanna's own behind the slits of her mask. "You a stranger to this land? All we get is strangers these days. Everybody's gone and run off! Drangleic's been a pile o'rubble since the war fought long, long ago. When the giants crossed the sea."

_Fascinating._

"Seemed like the battles would never end. Poor folk like myself had nary a place to sleep."

_Tragic._

"That's why I keep all me things right with me."

_Oh. That's why._

"You may travel light, but methinks you bear a burden of your own."

"What?" Devanna blurted out.

"Ah, I was right, I was right!" exclaimed the crone, clapping her hands together like a dancing skeleton. "Burden? Relieve it, yes? Buy something?"

"Oh, I don't think that'll help," Devanna said moodily. "Not unless you've got something that'll kill a god in there."

"Kill? Ah, kill!" the crone exclaimed. She slammed the crate on her back and out tumbled some weapons. "Straight sword? Hand axe? Club?"

"No."

"Caestus?"

"No," the ranger repeated, a bit more forcefully. Partly from wondering what the hell a caestus was. "I've got weapons already." She patted her bow and dagger. "Either give me something bigger or shut the hell up."

"Feeling small, you are. Overshadowed."

Devanna sighed as the hag laughed, then coughed, then wiped away the blood. Maybe it would be better to just kill the merchant. It would be less painful for her at least. Plus it would go some way to protecting her own sanity.

"Overshadowed? Gods and trees? Titans and giants…keh heh heh…"

And the ranger pulled out her blade, twirling the blade between her fingers. Anora had gone to shit, and despite some people such as herself preserving their free will, no weapon like the ones she or this hag possessed would save it. This land had gone to hell as well, and she'd already heard whispers of another land, Lordran, that was much the same way. Just once it would be nice to find a realm of flowers and rainbows. Just one…

"But the tallest trees may be climbed," the crone continued. "The tallest trees may be felled. Titans, giants…gods…they can fall…"

"What would you know about gods?" the ranger murmured.

"That you seek freedom and death." The crone smiled. "But are they the same? Or different? Does your death grant their freedom? Or do their deaths grant yours?"

"I'll grant your death if you don't shut up."

"Bah!" the hag exclaimed. "Fine! Leave Melentia…" she whispered, putting a hand in the ground and drawing random symbols in it. "Lowly times, these are…no sales…no souls…nothing…giants…"

_Right. See ya._

Devanna started walking again. Ostia was behind her. The unknown was in front of her. For now, she was willing to take her chances.

Still, she thought, it didn't seem so dark now. As if the trees had opened up. Or were smaller. Or…maybe the sun had come out.

_But the tallest trees may be climbed. The tallest trees may be felled. Titans, giants…gods…they can fall…_

But with the hag's words ringing in her ears, they didn't seem so insurmountable now.


End file.
